Teeth
by littlelimeywriter
Summary: A supply-drop gone afoul brings a new face to the crew of the Ghost. A face with a lot of teeth. Ezra's new friend Moss may end up worsening clashes between other members that aren't quite so accepting of the alien animal, or provide a useful ally as the Inquisitor begins to formulate a plan to nullify the Jedi and his Padawan for good. T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

It'd be an easy run, Kanan had said.

Just dropping off some supplies for refugees to pick up, he'd said.

They couldn't refuse the distress call, he'd said.

"Some easy run", Ezra muttered through gritted teeth as he felt cold slime trickle down the back of his neck as he lay on the ground, watching the sky overhead as another TIE fighter passed over his hiding spot. Every inch of him felt like ice, chilled by the wet ground and the cool night air. His hair was glued to the floor by the sheer amount of mud, even underneath the rubble where Ezra waited for a chance to find better safety.

The Ghost was probably back in the atmosphere, Hera flying with expert skill to outrun a stray TIE fighter, or perhaps waiting with baited breath for the call to come down to pick the crew up.

Everything had gone wrong, the moment they'd pushed the last of the requested supplies onto the trading platform of planet Tarkath. A squadron of TIE fighters had descended from the bloodied clouds of a red star sunset, peppering the marshland with laser bolts. Kanan had ordered Hera to take off with Chopper, whilst he and the others bolted for the ruins of an old city. With the appearance of Stormtroopers, the decision to split up was made, but to keep an ear on the comm-links and an eye out for a way to get away from the ambush.

Ezra had stayed with Sabine for a while, until a group of Stormtroopers appeared and the Mandalorian had vanished into the mouth of a towering building, leaving Ezra to dash away in the opposite direction.

It'd taken running through a couple buildings and sliding underneath the pile of rubble to loose his pursuers, and now all Ezra could do was wait for the commotion to die down. If only just a little.

Any time now.

* * *

When the sounds of commotion had died down, and he'd not heard a Stormtrooper pass by in many, many minutes, Ezra edged his way out from the rubble pile. More mud was added to the cold sloop that stuck to his back as he wriggled backward, and sitting up just exposed it to the cold air. In the dark and surrounded by crooked buildings, it was hard to see the stars, or anything Ezra could've identified during the day.

Even in the dark, he felt cold and sore from lying still for so long. Wiping mud from wherever he could reach it, he hurried away toward the nearest building. They were all identical – grey concrete blocks made of many deserted floors and empty windows, sectioned off by random walls and connected by holes in ceilings and rusted metal that would have once been stairs. Even indoors the building was permeated by the cold, but there were stable walls, and a multitude of _dry_ hiding places. It seemed like a good spot to wait out the assault.

But Ezra couldn't wait. He needed to move, he needed to find Kanan and Sabine and Zeb. Wherever they were.

Ugh, he was stuck in a maze of buildings with a small army between him and the rest of the Spectres.

Turning to his comm, all Ezra got was a buzz of fuzzy static, loud enough in the silence that made him switch it off within a few seconds. The signal was being jammed – finding the others had now become a tougher goal.

Groaning through his teeth, he sat himself down, leaning back against a slab of concrete that had fallen from the low ceiling (or perhaps one from further up the building). He needed to make a decision – move away from his safe spot to search out the others, or wait for them to come to him. One seemed easier to do, the other carried risk but would mean they could find each other quicker.

Ezra closed his eyes. Let a breath out, let his shoulder relax. Connect. The Force reacted in return. Kanan's signature within the Force was easily sensed, strong was the Jedi's connection no matter despite however long he'd resisted its use in the past. Sabine and Zeb, well, those were different -

 **Ezra wasn't alone.**

His eyes snapped open, his connection to the Force held tightly as he looked up. There, watching him from the hole above his head, glowed a pair of yellow eyes.

It descended into the room as fluidly as a waterfall. A strong and lithe feline shape, covered in dark fur from flat muzzle to the tip of the long and shaggy tail. It's face seemed more lupine compared to the body, a pair of long ears tilted forward, and a messy mane of hair spilling over its short neck down the spine to the shoulders.

The important part however was the set of white canines that appeared under the warning curl of the creature's muzzle.

Ezra shied backwards as the creature approached, crouched low and already so close. As it sniffed at him, he reached out to connect with the creature's mind.

'Don't harm me. I'm a friend.'

 _She knows_.

The rebound shocked him more than the creature's sudden appearance had. The words hadn't been spoken, it was more like they'd been sitting in his head already and he'd only just noticed the stray thought.

But now that he lowered his guard, even slightly more, the creature's nose had pushed past his protective arms. The smell of moss and musky fur mixed with hot breath that rolled off the creature's tongue as it leaned forward and –

Licked him.

It wasn't particularly slobbery, for which Ezra was ultimately grateful. But the act of affection got him behind the ear, for which he got disgusted shivers down his spine.

"Ugh, thanks", he muttered at the creature, who crooned quietly in response before pushing her muzzle into him. Her (for that was what he believed she was) behaviour was like that of a mother loth-cat, rubbing against a kit. Although the size of the creature made her nuzzling more forceful than tender, Ezra wasn't going to deny that her body warmth was much more favourable than the cold air. With care, he reached out slowly and touched the side of the creature's neck. No visible reaction, so he began to scratch, like he'd seen others do with pets, big or small. A rumbling sound echoed in the creature's throat, her eyes blinking slowly as she turned her head to the side and bared her teeth again. The action seemed less threatening now however – it was more like a friendly grin than a warning.

"Guess you like that, huh?", Ezra commented, moving to scratch the creature's chin. She let out a crooning sound, nodding her head in agreement. Wait, did she actually nod, or had she just adjusted her head to give the boy more access? Well, may as well find out.

"This is gonna sound weird if I'm wrong, but can you understand me?", he asked.

A different toned croon, mixed with a growl, came from the creature, as she turned to face him directly and nod once again.

"But you can't speak?"

A whining snarl, lips curling back to show teeth once more while her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Oh. You are speaking, aren't you?"

A huff, and a legitimate roll of the eyes. Ezra muffled a laugh, surprised and amused to see such intelligent emotion shown on the features of what he'd thought only minutes ago had been a feral beast. The creature joined in with a series of whizzing huffs, and promptly flicked his ear with another lick.

"Okay, okay, you can stop the licking now", Ezra full on laughed, pushing the muzzle away with one hand whilst easing himself off the ground with the other hand. The creature took a couple steps back to let him stand, watching him patiently. Now on his feet, Ezra could get a better sense of the creature's size; his chin came about level with her shoulders, whilst her head could've been level with Kanan's, had he been in the room.

Kanan.

"Karabast", Ezra hissed through his teeth, shooting a look back outside the building. "I still need to find them."

A confused croon came from the creature. Concern?

"I don't suppose you've seen a Lasat, a Jedi and a Mandalorian around, have you?", Ezra asked her. The question was a result of wishful thinking, but a shake of her head dashed his hopes for that. But then the creature lowered her head to the ground, and began to sniff around his feet.

"You could…find them by smell?"

She looked up to nod her head, before padding toward the doorway, continuing to sniff around. Ezra followed at a light jog – it was hard to keep up the creature's loping gate.

"How would you know where to start? You don't know their scent", he stated, before he remembered. "Although…I could give some pointers."

The creature paused in front of the building's exit, glanced back at the Padawan. He made his way over, hopping over a chunk of rubble and peeking outside the building. In the distance was the vague clunking of Walkers, and shouts of Stormtroopers, echoing off the sides of buildings despite the clear air. Breathing in deeply, Ezra focused once more, reaching out into the Force. Once more he found Kanan's signature within it. He couldn't pinpoint the Jedi's exact location, but he could tell he was in a particular direction.

Glancing back to the creature, he began to speak: "One of them's over in that-" But a forceful push into his side cut him off. One of the creature's paws shoved him over to her, nudging him up and forcing him to grab onto the creature's back. Left dangling, Ezra hauled himself the rest of the way up, finding a seat of sorts behind the creature's shoulders.

"That's one way of doing it", he mumbled, before noticing the creature was waiting. For directions, he was sure. Shuffling again in his seat, he pointed over in the direction he'd sensed Kanan.

"That way."


	2. Chapter 2

A squad of Stormtroopers were creeping their way between the buildings. Flashlights had been switched on, allowing them to see better where their blasters were pointing and, hopefully, showing them who to shoot.

However, all they'd found so far was silence, rock, and abandoned buildings and narrow alleyways for soft winds to whistle through.

"This place is giving me the creeps", one Stormtrooper commented, as they swept their lights over another dead-ended pathway.

"Tell me about it", another replied drily. Their sergeant, groaning under his helmet, turned about to reprimand his troops. Only to look up into the yellow eyes of a snarling monster.

The eye contact could have only lasted a second, but it was enough for him to let out a shocked cry of alarm, even as the creature bounded over the heads of the squad, leaping from the window of one of the buildings to land on the ground and promptly galloping off around the corner. The Stormtroopers watched the monster vanish, as quickly and quietly as it'd appeared, heavily breathing as the adrenaline shock ran through them.

"…Did anyone else see a kid on that thing's back?"

"Was it one of the insurgents?"

"I honestly didn't get a good enough look."

"Let's just say it wasn't. I don't want to go searching after that…. _thing._ "

And the squad continued their patrolling.

* * *

Buildings and ground blasted past in the blink of an eye. Digging his grip into the fur of the creature, Ezra clung on. Every now and again, the creature would slow down to pad around, sniffing the ground and the air and giving him opportunity to look for Kanan again. As they got closer, the other's Force signature began to become stronger, but it also seeped out further, fogging Ezra's view and making it harder to pinpoint Kanan's exact location.

It got to a point where the creature glanced back for a pointer to see Ezra with a hand pressed against his forehead, eyebrows scrunched together in forced concentration. Finally he let out a tired groan, hunching over in his seat.

"It's no use, I can't tell where he is", he snapped. "He could be anywhere around here."

The creature rumbled quietly, her expression soft, before going back to sniffing around the area. Abruptly, her head snapped up, long ears springing up from their resting point along the neck and beginning to twitch and pivot. Listening. Ezra stiffened, leaning forward and tightening his grip.

Lunging forward, she ran again, slaloming between heaps of rubble and diving through a narrow gap between a doorway and a collapsed wall. Kanan was already standing, prepared, his blaster raised and aimed at the creature as she slunk into the thin room.

"Don't shoot!", Ezra shouted, one hand raised defensively as he felt a nervous lump in his stomach at the sight of the blaster. Letting go as the creature pivoted anxiously away from the weapon proved to be a mistake, as the momentum slid him backwards and over the side of the creature, hitting the floor with a _thud_ that set flashing lights behind his eyelids.

"Ezra?!" Lowering the weapon, Kanan hurried to the side of the boy, as the creature made a panicked shuffle sideways to let him pass by. He knelt down next to Ezra, reaching out to gingerly support him as he sat up with a pained groan. A wave of the hand signalled that the youth was alright, just with a bruised head.

"I said to keep an ear out for-", Kanan started to chide Ezra, but was bluntly interrupted as Ezra held up his comm.

"- And they figured that out so they jammed the signal", he stated.

"Hm. So you used the Force to track me down instead? I guess I should be impressed." Concern was beginning to slide away from Kanan's expression, replaced instead by slight amusement as he glanced over his shoulder to regard the creature. She stood patiently, leaning over to examine Ezra herself.

"Honestly though, being able to connect with a beast like this one. It really looks like our lessons are starting to make some impression", Kanan commented.

"I, uh…" Ezra trailed off as Kanan looked back at him, at first confused but then concerned once more; a father waiting for his son's confession.

"I didn't connect with her. I didn't connect at all, she just…turned up, and helped me", Ezra explained, waving a hand in the direction of the creature. Ears flicked up in their direction. She'd realised they were speaking about her, and so she let out a rumbling croon.

Kanan looked one step above surprise and three steps below shock. Helping Ezra back to his feet, he approached the creature. She in turn shied back. One step forward. Two steps back.

"C'mon, I'm not going to hurt you", Kanan grumbled in annoyance. The creature snorted in return, promptly deciding to stand still. Now that she'd decided to cooperate, Kanan reached out a hand, tapping into the Force and using it to reach out to the creature's mind.

What he experienced was the same mental rebound that Ezra had felt. As the creature shook her head and let out a rumbling low noise, he narrowed his eyes at her. Confusion, surprise, curiosity…these all rumbled around in his head as he searched for an answer to his unbidden question.

"She's intelligent", he stated, as Ezra wandered up to his side. "Too intelligent for a beast like herself."

The creature narrowed her eyes, croaking out short whines and flicking her tongue at Kanan.

"She's certainly got an attitude", Ezra said, a smile rising to his lips at the creature's expression. Kanan however wasn't quite so amused.

"She may well be one of the dominant species left over", he mused aloud. "The planet got razed by the Separatists during the Clone Wars, used for establishing bases and collecting supplies, no matter the cost. The resident intelligent species got pretty much wiped out because of lack of communication, and eventually the Separatists collected up everything and left the place for ruin."

"That'd explain all the buildings falling apart", commented Ezra.

"And it'd explain why she's the first person we've met on this rock", added Kanan, pointing to the creature.

"Hey, I know she's intelligent, but I were still going to call her a 'person'?", Ezra asked, wandering over to loop an arm over the creature's shoulders (or at least attempt to). "She can't even – hey!"

As the creature stepped swiftly to the side, sending Ezra off-balance, she huffed angrily at him.

"Let's try not to insult the guy with big teeth in the room", Kanan suggested, clapping a hand on Ezra's shoulder to stop him falling over and nudge him away from the creature slightly. "Now, we need to find Sabine and Zeb. Any ideas?"

"I only got this far from her help", Ezra gestured with a flopping hand to the creature.

"Right. Then we stick to what we know. With comm-systems jammed, we'll need some other way to signal the Ghost. Sabine's our best shot", Kanan explained. "You're gonna find her like you found me." Oh joy. Ezra sighed heavily, rolling his eyes.

"Is this really the time for another lesson?", he whined.

"May as well practise something if you aren't going to be practising another." Kanan's amused tone pushed another groan from Ezra, only this was one of disgust.

 **Clunk, clunk, clunk**. The three in the room snapped to attention at the sound of armoured boots. Darting to the walls, Kanan hushed Ezra and gestured for him to crouch. The creature slunk to the opposite side, her head tilted to peer through a crack that had once been a window. Five seconds, ten. Time ticked precariously as the group of Stormtroopers filed past the building. Fifteen seconds. Slowly the marching faded back into the night.

Kanan had returned to his serious expression once more. The sudden surprise had been a stern reminder that while he was indeed trying to teach Ezra, they couldn't mess about like with lessons on the Ghost.

"Focus, Ezra", he said brusquely. "We might not have much time to find Sabine and Zeb."

"Alright, alright, I'm focusing", Ezra muttered, closing his eyes. From the other side of the room, the creature let out an impatient chitter. Kanan blinked and looked over to her.

"As for you, uh…", he trailed off, uncertain what to tell the creature to do. "…what's your name?"

"Really?", came a dry comment from behind Kanan. His shoulders rose a touch - now was really not the time for snarky remarks from his Padawan.

"Aren't you meant to be finding Sabine?"

Whilst Ezra muttered, "Yup. Can do. Finding Sabine", Kanan returned his attention to the creature. She curled her lips back, a grating noise rising from her throat as she snarled out: " _Kgassh_ ".

"Pardon?"

" _Kgassh._ " With a paw, the creature swiped at the surface of a piece of rubble and held up the claws to Kanan. There, caught up in the fur and claws, was a bundle of moss.

"…Your name is Moss?", Kanan asked quietly, to clarify his thoughts. The creature, Moss, nodded.

"I got Sabine!" The excited cry made Kanan hush Ezra harshly, who in turn winced and ducked down. Nervous glances were thrown outside the building. When no Stormtroopers came barraging through the rubble, Ezra hurriedly whispered, "I found Sabine. I think she's with Zeb too."

"Good job there", Kanan commented. "I'm sure Moss here will be happy to help us find them like she did with me, right?"

"I'm sure she will", Ezra said as Moss nudged against Kanan's shoulder, a 'grin' on her muzzle again.

The trio slunk out of the building, Moss leaping through the crack in the building and sniffing around the area, ears perked for any sound that could be Stormtrooper or Walker. Kanan followed, blaster in hand and lightsaber waiting on his belt. Ezra was last, hopping out through the crack to catch a foot on the concrete and flop face-first onto Moss' tail. Once he'd been up-righted, Kanan boosted the boy up onto Moss.

KA-BAM

An explosion ripped through the silence of the city. Moss shied backwards with a surprised shriek as Ezra and Kanan turned about in shock to see a plume of purple-tinged smoke rising from one of the buildings.

"Ezra, was that-?", Kanan began to ask, but all Ezra did was nod dumbly. The explosion had come from the same direction that he'd sensed Sabine and Zeb.


	3. Chapter 3

"C'mon, we gotta move!", Kanan snapped, shifting over to Moss and placing a hand on her muzzle. As he shushed the nervous creature, Ezra continued to stare up at the column of smoke, trailing up from the windows of one of the taller buildings – a clump of spires that pushed out of the ground and stretched up like flattened fingers, the sides of which were now being lit up by dotted spotlights.

Once Moss was calmed down, Kanan hauled himself up behind Ezra.

"Run as fast as you can", Kanan ordered Moss, the words 'otherwise we'll be too late' left behind in his mind. A nervous energy was building up in his stomach, one he didn't need. He needed to focus instead. He needed to be ready to protect his teammates, his family.

"You best find someplace to hold onto", Ezra warned Kanan, as he felt Moss shift beneath him.

"Why do you say that-" Kanan's words were cut off as Moss surged forward, jumping straight into a run. The sudden shift snapped Kanan's head back, and he grabbed onto Ezra's shoulders to stay on the back of the creature.

Smoothly Moss might have moved, but every leap or side-step she made gave the effect of invisible wires yanking her passengers in the opposite direction. With Kanan hanging onto him, Ezra dug his fingers into Moss' fur. If the added weight or pain from Ezra's hold affected the creature, she showed little to no sign of it. She kept racing along in the direction of the smoke cloud.

They began to overtake Stormtroopers patrols, also converging on the site of the explosion. Shouts could be heard in the distance, along with several dull thuds. More explosions.

"Sabine must be really having a field-day with this", Kanan commented as blue smoke overtook the remains of the purple. Although he only hoped that Sabine felt the same way.

Moss took a sudden turn, loping away down a side-alley. They were closing in on the base of the building, which was close to being swarmed by troopers. Beside the building however was a very dilapidated building. Several floors sawn off, collapsed walls reaching out as if to form a tenacious bridge with the other building…Ezra realised Moss' plan as she reached the entrance to the run-down building.

"Moss, no!", he said, his voice wobbling nervously. But she leapt inside anyway. A jump and a scrabble of claws took them up a floor. A rusted stairwell led them up the rest of the way. Steps creaked and threatened to disintegrate under-paw. Up amongst the remains of the top floors, the smell of dust and chemicals was drifting down, stray strands of smoke billowing through the air to fade away. With a determined snort, Moss took a heavy run-up towards the building. Ezra felt Kanan brace himself, and turned his head away to do the same.

His stomach dropped as Moss launched herself off the crumbling walls. The brief moment of free-fall felt like hours, air whipping itself into a fierce wind that screamed in Ezra's ears.

They slammed through a crumbled window, easily dropping through the gaping hole in the wall and Moss skidding a good couple metres. She paused, glancing back to her passengers as they got their breath back. Kanan slid off Moss, surprised to feel his legs trembling. Despite having ridden all the way, he almost felt like he'd sprinted up the building.

"They're a few floors up", he stated, brushing out with the Force. "But we've got company coming up soon. We'd best move."

"Right."

Kanan led the way, out into a massive stairwell. A vine or tree of some sorts had ripped up through the centre, its thick branches either blocking the stairs up or replacing the stairs completely. In many places, the bark was blackened by laser fire. The small group clambered up the stairs, vaulted branches and brushing bushes aside. Ezra kept finding a gentle nuzzle in his arm or back every time he hesitated, Moss encouraging him to keep going. He needed little encouragement though – his stomach was twisted so tightly from nerves he thought it had shrunken completely.

Soon they'd caught up with the sound of laser-fire, from Stormtrooper blasters and bo-rifles. Activating their lightsabers, Kanan and Ezra burst into the room that was the source of all the commotion. The squad of Stormtroopers in the room were caught by surprise, focused as they'd been on keeping Sabine and Zeb pinned behind a half-collapsed wall the rebels were using as cover. Kanan spun his lightsaber, deflecting the laser bolts of a couple troopers that reacted quickly, whilst Ezra kicked a slower one square in the helmet. A rumbling roar sounded behind them, as Moss made her entrance as well, cannoning into the room and leaping onto an unlucky trooper with teeth bared.

"Karabast! What's that?!", Zeb yelled as he saw the creature attack.

"Looks like the cavalry", Sabine simply quipped, firing off a series of bolts at a distracted Stormtrooper.

It didn't take long for the attackers to be knocked down by blaster bolt or heavy claws. Keeping their sabers active lest another squadron attack, Ezra and Kanan hurried over to Zeb and Sabine.

"Spotted your smoke signal", Kanan commented to Sabine, looking just a tad amused.

"Spotted your new pet", Sabine replied. "Where'd you find that anyway?"

"Long story. I'll explain on the Ghost." Speaking of which, Kanan thought he could hear the sound of familiar space-engines. Sticking his head out of the hole in the building's side (significantly newer than the other signs of ruin, if the blackened edges were anything to go by), he saw the Ghost descending toward them, firing down at the Empire forces around the building. As the back door opened up, Kanan shouted at his team, "It's time to move! Hurry up!"

Sabine leapt across the gap first, dashing back inside the Ghost and into safety. Zeb followed next, standing near the edge of the metal platform into the ship and holding a hand out.

"C'mon!", he shouted, as the Ghost swung to the side to avoid an incoming blast. Kanan obliged, deactivating his saber and leaping across with a Force-jump to boost himself. Ezra prepped himself to follow, but as he put his lightsaber away a pair of jaws locked around the back of his shirt and he found himself _carried_ across the gap with a spine-shuddering leap and thud.

"Wait, no, we gotta drop this thing off!", Zeb yelled over the roar of the engines as Moss scrabbled her way into the Ghost, dropping off Ezra in the cargo hold.

"We can discuss this later! We need to leave!", Kanan argued, also making his way into the ship. Zeb rolled his eyes, slipping in as the Ghost began to rise and the door closed up.

Inside the cargo hold, Hera's voice sounded over the speakers.

"Good to see you all in one piece", she said, sounding just more than slightly relieved. "Thanks for the smoke signal Sabine."

"You're welcome", Sabine replied, pulling off her helmet and looking quite a bit smug.

"Now, can someone explain our new passenger?", Hera asked.

All eyes turned to Moss, who in turn nudged Ezra. Glancing between his team and Moss, faced with serious frowns and expectant staring eyes, Ezra slowly grinned nervously. Only one comment came to mind in this situation:

"Can we keep her?"


	4. Chapter 4

The Ghost arced through space, forever silent in the absence of sound, cold and majestic.

On board the ship, it was very much not silent.

In the cargo hold, Chopper could hear the fierce argument unfolding in the central room. Various angry comments from Zeb, similarly angry comebacks from Ezra, Kanan and Hera attempting to maintain the peace, and silence whenever Sabine made a quieter (and probably more logical) point.

Sabine made things blow up. Chopper liked that, as much as a droid can enjoy things.

Moss was curled up across the other side of the hold. One would think she was completely oblivious to all that was going on, but the way her ears were held up and her eyes stared nervously at the door where the words echoed from suggested otherwise.

Letting out a series of clicks, Chopper decided to investigate the large furry alien himself. He wheeled his way around, the movement catching Moss' attention. She let out a 'hurrr' in confused greeting as the droid drew up next to her. Chopper whirred in response. He figured, deep down in his logic circuits, the best way to get to understand the alien was to treat her just the same as the rest of his crew.

He activated his electrical prod.

* * *

"For all we know, that creature-"

"Moss", Ezra groaned through gritted teeth for the fiftieth time, even as Zeb continued unabated.

"-could've been planted by the Empire. You said so yourself, Kanan, she's intelligent. And it wouldn't be the first time we let someone on this ship and they turn out to be pro-Empire."

"I didn't sense any kind of ulterior motive when she helped us, Zeb", Kanan retorted. "It's not like she's going to turn around and-"

He trailed off, listening.

The distressed cry of 'whaAOOOH' gradually increased in volume until Chopper banged straight through the doors and into the meeting, arms flailing over his head.

"Whoa, easy there Chop!", said Hera, stepping over in front of the droid and kneeling in front of him. "Aren't you supposed to be watching our friend in the cargo hold?"

"Look at this!" Zeb's cry of outrage made all turn to look at what the Lasat was pointing at – a set of claw-sized scratches across the back of the droid's domed head. Zeb was practically grinding his teeth now, and Ezra felt a moment of panic. Not just for Chopper, but for Moss.

"She's gone and attacked Chopper now!", Zeb snapped.

"Look, there has to be some kind of reason", Ezra argued, his nervous tone starting to break through. "This is Chopper. We've both tried to go for his bolts when he's zapped us or something."

"Yeah, but he's part of the crew. Not like your pet in the hold", Zeb growled in response.

"Hold up for a second, boys!", Hera snapped, standing up between the two and holding her hands up. It was only now that Ezra registered how close he and Zeb had been getting. A few more steps and they'd have probably been nose-to-nose and maybe seconds from a full-on brawl.

"If Moss is causing this much agitation between ourselves, maybe it would be better to drop her off back on her planet", Kanan commented, frowning over Chopper.

"Oh come on, you guys liked me as much as you like Moss now, and look where we ended up", Ezra argued.

"Yes, but you're – you know. Human! Moss is something we don't even know about."

"I could probably help out there", Sabine butted in. "I've got some old data files dating back from the Clone Wars. Tarkath used to be a Separatist-held planet, I'm sure there'll be some information on Moss' species in the files."

"Fine. Sabine, you check up on that", Hera said, stepping away from the conversation. "Kanan, keep the boys busy. I'm going to check up on Moss."

A series of mixed tones replied, "Yes ma'am" and "Roger that" along with a grouchy clunking from Chopper.

* * *

In the cargo hold, Hera spied Moss from the balcony. The alien looked much more restless than when they'd left her, pacing up and down a stretch of the hold. She had a limp now too, keeping her weight off a front paw.

"Dammit Chopper", Hera muttered under her breath. She scaled down the ladder, as Moss glanced up and greeted her with a croon.

"Wanna show me what's bothering you?"

Ears laid flat on her head, the creature paced over to Hera, sitting down and raising the injured foot. Hera saw no sign of injury, but then again, electrical shocks left little outer damage, especially under a layer of fur.

"Eh, Chopper tends to do this kind of thing to everyone", she reassured Moss, giving her a smile. "You'll be fine in no time."

Moss let out another crooning noise, but this one seemed happier, and was followed by a nuzzle on Hera's forehead. Hera laughed, the sensation was quite ticklish to her, and she placed a hand on Moss' muzzle to move her head aside.

"You're a strange one, aren't you?", she thought out loud. "Most others would think you're just another animal, but you're as smart as the rest of us."

An appreciative snort was Moss' comment, baring a smile.

"Well, if you're going to be sticking around for now, you may want to keep out of Zeb's way. He's rough, but his heart's in the right place", Hera continued, turning to head back to the ladder. "It's going to take some point for things to settle down after you dropping in."

With Moss letting out a farewell rumble, Hera looked up to see Sabine drop into the hold, landing on the balcony.

"Hey Hera! I found those data files", she said, holding up the electrical tablets.

"That was fast", Hera mumbled, climbing up to join Sabine.

"Well, they're not necessarily on Moss, but they detail most of the planets the Separatists invaded." The girls sat down together, a couple of tablets each, and began to read through the text on the files.

It'd been a while in silence when Sabine's expression switched from focused to excited.

"I've got it! Planet Tarkath, the main species being the Argrog", she said with a smile. Hera shuffled over to Sabine, who in turn held up the data file for them both to read as she continued, "The Argrog, much like the Wookies, retain their own primal tongue, as they were unable to speak Common. This worked against them when Separatists first arrived, as neither party were able to communicate and the new arrivals ended up driving Argrog packs away from construction sites or shooting them for sport."

"Poor Moss", Hera muttered, sympathy crossing her face as she looked over and down at the Argrog circling below.

"Don't feel too bad. There's plenty of records of droids getting dragged away and destroyed by rebel Argrog packs. These things evolved as predators, through and through."

"Predators?"

"Yep. They're big time hunters, their prey were most of the other fauna on Tarkath. With the occasional droid thrown in there, I guess."

The two readers took pause to throw a cautious glance to Moss. For a brief moment she looked less fluffy and harmless and more like a circling predator. Hera shuddered as the mental image of those teeth flashed before her. Sabine bit her lip nervously.

"Come on, she's not going to up and attack us out of nowhere", Hera said quickly, moving to reassure herself and Sabine. "She's like a bigger, hairier version of Zeb if you think about it."

"Only less grouchy and more inclined to meat", Sabine muttered. Although a brief smile crossed her features.

"I'm sure we can pick something up for her on our next supply run. We're stopping in Jalath soon, after all."

"Yup. Sounds like a plan." Gathering up the data files, Sabine grinned at Hera. "I'll fill the boys in on the necessaries. See you in the cock-pit."

With a soft smile on her face, Hera watched the Mandalorian scramble back into the main interior of the Ghost, before looking down at Moss. The Argrog had paused and was staring up, head tilted.

"You stick around down here. I'll send someone to check up on you in a while", Hera told her, making her way up the ladder as well. Hopefully the information would help Zeb calm down. She understood – the Lasat needed time to get along with the new arrival. The crew had had to go through this song-and-dance before after all. Perhaps if things went smoothly and if Moss turned out to be a permanent addition, the transition would go faster and quieter. And perhaps with less collateral damage.

Just so long as things went well, Hera thought, sitting down at the pilot's seat and glancing over to Kanan, the two of them exchanging soft and tired smiles.

* * *

A minute passed. Several. Moss watched the hatch in the ceiling for movement. With a snort, she padded over to the ladder herself. Bipeds made this look easy. She could figure it out. Stand up tall, hook the claws over. Like walking, only upwards.

Clambering up with heavy grunts, Moss scrabbled her way out of the cargo hold.

* * *

[The incident Zeb refers to is from the Star Wars Rebels magazine .9, 'Senate Perspective']


	5. Chapter 5

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

The sound of the Ghost's engine created a humming noise in the background, white noise that smothered thought and distractions.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Eyes closed, other senses slowly growing quieter. No need to care if the cold air carried the smell of dust and oil, or that the old cushions were beginning to soften significantly more than would be considered through wear-and-tear.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Kanan sat cross-legged in his quarters. He needed to put his mind at ease – it had been whirring madly ever since Hera broke up Zeb and Ezra's arguing, and now that the two were set to duties on different points in the ship, he had the space and time to meditate on the situation.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

The Force shifted, pressing in the back of his mind. He pressed back in return, reaching out into the silence and the ship and there it was, blooming between himself and the other living beings around him. A neural network of connections, bright and twisting.

He was roused from his meditating by the door to his quarters sliding open by an inquisitive nose, as Moss proceeded to slip her head into the room.

Kanan swore he saw the creature's eyes widen as she caught sight of the Jedi. The same could probably have been said for him – any thoughts of meditation were being swept out the door.

"Oh no", he mumbled quietly, beginning to lever himself to his knees, to his feet, slowly standing. "No, no you're not meant to be up here, you're meant to be- _MOSS_."

Moss had hurried backwards into the corridor and was now skittering away, claws clacking loudly on the metal floor. Kanan careened after her. As he skidded, he felt the Force flex under his fingertips. A wall missed colliding against his face as he pushed away from it to continue the haphazard chase through the Ghost.

Things would get ugly soon, and he didn't need to be a Jedi to know it. In a ship of this size, Moss would run into someone else eventually, and if that someone was the resident grouchier-than-usual Lasat then the situation could only get worse.

* * *

Somehow, the Argog managed to elude Kanan for a good few minutes, as well as avoid running into anyone else. By the time Kanan stopped himself from skidding around a corner and into Zeb's chest, he was getting worried that Moss had gotten herself caught up in a tight spot or a bad hiding spot.

Well, now he had something else to worry about.

"Oh, hey Zeb."

"Hey…Kanan." Zeb tilted his head, his cheery greeting turning a tad flat. "Is there an emergency, what's up?"

"Nothing, nothing at all, nothing wrong", Kanan replied, leaning against the wall in a completely casual manner.

"Then where're your boots?"

"What?"

"Your boots, where are they?" Kanan looked down. A pair of bare feet, showing off dirtied socks and a solitary toe, looked back up at him. Karrabast, he must had forgone pulling his boots on when he took off after Moss.

"I, uh…didn't figure I needed them. Guess Hera or Chopper decided to treat us to a warm ship while we have the fuel."

"Kanan, I'm covered in more hair than you are and even I know the Ghost is the same temperature as it always is", Zeb deadpanned. "And you know Hera, she wouldn't use our fuel on higher heating."

"Yeah, yeah she wouldn't." This conversation wasn't running in the right way Kanan wanted. He needed to keep searching for Moss, but now surely Zeb had him in headlights and-

And Zeb let out a good-natured chuckle and clapped Kanan on the shoulder, nearly staggering him.

"I think the past couple cycles have worn you out", Zeb said, an oddly gentle smile appearing. "What with the whole failed drop and the thing in our hold."

"I, uh, think that might be it, yeah." Kanan rolled with it, running a hand through his hair and feeling strands falling from his ponytail.

"Tell you what, I'll take your night shift for this cycle. Just don't tell Ezra, or else he'll start calling me softy again." The two shared a small laugh.

"Fair enough. Just so long as you don't tell him I went walking around bootless", Kanan agreed.

"Eh, I can't assure it, but I'll do my best." Still with an amused expression, Zeb walked on in the direction Kanan had come from.

Kanan waited ten seconds before letting out a slow and heavy breath of relief.

Then the door next to him rattled loudly. Turning on his heel, he watched Sabine step out, glancing out into the corridor left and right. He could practically hear the everspinning parts in her mind whirring away at higher speeds than normal.

"I guess you know where-" Sabine cut Kanan off mid-sentence, shushing him quickly before beckoning him to follow her.

As Kanan stepped in the room, he realised somehow that Moss had led him in a complete circuit – they were in Sabine's room, only metres from where this mad chase had begun.

And there was Moss, curled up amongst the piles of metal and scavenged pieces and cans of paints and carefully stored bombs both hollowed and readied. She wasn't alone either – Ezra was sat by her shoulders, lying back with his eyes closed. A gentle nudge from the Force, a metaphorical brush from fatherly fingers across a child's forehead, told Kanan the Padawan was in light sleep. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Ezra pretty much shoved her in here about three minutes ago, before you and Zeb started chatting outside", Sabine explained, perching on a slightly cleared shelf. "I let them hide out until Zeb left just now, but Moss got herself comfortable and Ezra sat down next to her and the next thing I know the kid's asleep."

"Well, it's been a long couple cycles", Kanan said. "I'll comm you when we start approaching Jalath, we'll need to have Moss back in the cargo hold before then."

"Fair call. By the way, where are your-"

"That's a question I'll answer later. Or never." It depended on whether someone managed to persuade him to pick up a glass after all these years. Never was a better option anyway. Turning away, Kanan made to head back to his room.

"How do you think she got out anyway?", Sabine questioned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "It's not like she has thumbs or anything."

"You'll have to ask her that." Moss had raised her head, ears raised and watching Sabine and Kanan. Looking back at her, Kanan tossed her a two-fingered salute before walking out. Moss released a low huff, an ear flicking backward, and then laid her head down by Ezra's arm.

* * *

Settling back on his pad, Kanan allowed himself to relax again. Despite only ten minutes passing (give or take a few extra), he felt like he'd been up and running for a good half an hour or longer.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Again, the image of Ezra asleep beside Moss flickered across his mind. And again, it caused the softest of smiles to creep across Kanan's face.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Connecting to the Force took less effort this time around. He could practically see the web of golden threads, floating peaceful and iridescent around the ship. Zeb, mildly cheerful but preoccupied (up in the gunner's seat, working on repairs perhaps). Hera, calm, almost in a meditative state herself, but still alert (watching the hyperspace lanes drift by). Sabine, creativity at full pelt (working on her armour or a new set of explosives). Moss, nervous, curious, a sheer bundle of emotions that was slowly drifting away (she too was perhaps considering a nap). Ezra, quiet and asleep and falling towards content.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Of all those minds that Kanan found himself regarding, distant and reverent, two reacted in kind. Even in his sleep, Ezra's mind seemed to flinch from the contact, before recognising the gentle touch and turning away from it. And then Moss – as Kanan began to move to himself, her mind seemed to try and _follow_. But immediately turned away, as Ezra had.

A curious mind could be dangerous. The dark thought leaked into Kanan's head and his smile began to ebb away.

Hera's voice over his comm-link broke into his thoughts. No matter how deep he meditated, she could always bring him back with a word.

"We're getting close to Jalath. You'd best tell the others."

"No system-comm?", Kanan asked.

"You have certain someones to move first." How did she know these things? Once more smiling, Kanan departed his room. Making absolutely sure to pull his boots on this time.


End file.
